What is The Sweating Sickness?

During the 15th century sweating sickness was first found in European countries. Sweating sickness was a dangerous disease, as in those days anyone infected with sweating sickness eventually died within an hour. However, in 1507, sweating became less fatal but the severe epidemic again started. In today’s world, excessive sweating is often referred as sweating sickness. The main cause of sweating sickness is still unknown but there are some conditions which could be the cause for sweating sickness- severe illness due to hot temperature in the environment and psychological stress.

Symptoms of Sweating Sickness:

The symptoms of the sweating sickness or disease began suddenly during 16th century in Europe. So, here are the following symptoms:

Increase of pulse rate and feeling of intense thirst and delirium (restlessness).

Frequent pain and palpitation (shiver) in heart.

Irresistible inclination to sleep and feeling of exhaustion (patient can collapse or they often go into semi-coma).

Like many other dangerous diseases, the sweating sickness is a combination of transmissibility and fatal disease. This disease could kill the infected person within an hour and those who survived within 24 hours would be considered safe. But later on, who survived those hours where still at risk to be in the fatal stage of the disease.

Causes for Sweating sickness:

The cause for sweating sickness is still unknown. Experts who have been doing research on the causes of the sweating sickness have stated that-the unhygienic condition (regarding improper sewage system) during the 16th century in Europe might be the cause for sweating sickness. The Relapsing fever (which is caused through lice and ticks) among the people can also be one of the reasons for sweating sickness occurring mostly in summer season. One of the English physicians has also stated that the sweating sickness is vituperative (dangerous) among the rich and the poor people. Based on the article of 1934, chronic fatigue syndrome was said to be one of the cause for the sweating sickness as this sickness shares the same symptoms as Bornholm disease.

In 1485, the sweating sickness came to be noticed by a physician during the reign of Henry VII in Europe (England).The sweating sickness had a very crucial impact on the people in Europe as this disease started to kill people. In 1507, fatality effect was less but again in 1517 there was frequent fatal disaster in Europe and its people. In 1528, the sweating sickness started to sweep all the eastern part of Europe. The sweating sickness developed to become an infectious disease like cholera. In the end of that year (1528), the sweating sickness or disease disappeared completely; however in 1551 it again gave a major outbreak in 1551.Thus, the sweating sickness became one of the most destructive diseases in all over Eastern Europe. It caused terrified mortality in Eastern Europe.